WNBA DRAFT: Top 3 Picks and 28 out of 36 Played AAU

UNCASVILLE, Conn., April 14, 2016 – Connecticut’s and 86th AAU Sullivan Award winner Breanna Stewart, along with Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck, who this year became the first NCAA basketball players – male or female – to win four consecutive Division I championships, were selected with the first three picks of WNBA Draft 2016 presented by State Farm at Mohegan Sun Arena. This marks the first time in WNBA history that the top three players are from the same school.

The Seattle Storm used the first pick of the draft to select Stewart, the only player in college basketball history to be named the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player four times. Stewart, a three-time Associated Press National Player of the Year, joins a Storm team that includes last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Jewell Loyd, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year presented by Samsung.

With the second pick, the San Antonio Stars chose Jefferson, a consensus All-America First Team selection for the 2015-16 season and the Huskies’ all-time assists leader. The Connecticut Sun followed by taking Tuck, who earned AP All-America Second Team honors in her final season at UConn.

The Sun also had the fourth pick and selected Rachel Banham, the Big Ten career scoring leader (3,093 points), who tied the NCAA single-game record of 60 points at Northwestern and tallied 52 at Michigan State this past season. The Dallas Wings rounded out the top five by picking Michigan State’s Aerial Powers, the Spartans’ first three-time All-Big Ten First Team selection.
With the sixth pick, the Los Angeles Sparks made George Washington’s Jonquel Jones the first player from her university to go in the first round. The Sparks then traded Jones and the 17th pick to the Sun for guard Chelsea Gray, the 15th and 23rd picks in this year’s draft and Connecticut’s first-round pick in 2017.

The Washington Mystics used the seventh pick on Rutgers’ Kahleah Copper, the third-leading scorer in school history, and the Phoenix Mercury followed at No. 8 with South Florida’s Courtney Williams, who led the American Athletic Conference with 22.4 points this past season. The Indiana Fever, picking ninth, drafted two-time SEC Player of the Year Tiffany Mitchell of South Carolina.

For the final three picks of the first round, the Chicago Sky selected three-time Big 12 All-Defensive Team choice Imani Boyette of Texas (10th); the Atlanta Dream drafted three-time All-Big 12 First Team honoree Bria Holmes of West Virginia (11th); and the New York Liberty chose 2015-16 All-SEC Second Team selection Adut Bulgak of Florida State (12th).

WNBA Draft 2016 presented by State Farm took place one month before tip-off of the league’s landmark 20th season. The WNBA regular season begins Saturday, May 14 with five games, highlighted by an ESPN telecast of the defending WNBA champion Minnesota Lynx and the Mercury at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The Dream tipped off the second round by selecting Rutgers’ Rachel Hollivay with the 13th pick, followed by the Lynx choosing Jazmon Gwathmey of James Madison with the 14th pick and the Sparks adding Florida Gulf Coast’s Whitney Knight with the 15th pick. Minnesota traded Gwathmey to San Antonio for guard Jia Perkins.

* Traded, along with 17th pick, to Connecticut Sun for guard Chelsea Gray, the 15th and 23rd picks in this year’s draft and Connecticut’s first-round pick in 2017

#Traded to San Antonio for guard Jia Perkins

About State Farm®
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About the WNBA
The WNBA, which features 12 teams, is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. The league, which counts Verizon as its leaguewide marquee partner, will begin its 20th season on May 14, 2016.

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About AAU

The AAU was founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sports. During its early years, the AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the U.S. in the international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic games. After the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the AAU has focused its efforts into providing sports programs for all participants of all ages beginning at the grass roots level. The philosophy of "Sports for All, Forever," is shared by over 650,000 participants and over 100,000 volunteers.